Everyone who knows me knows I am on a mission not only to feed our family better, but to get other parents to realize that they can make better choices about the nutrition and well being of their children. Nutritional intervention isn't easy, but it works.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Easy Chicken Stock Recipe

Thanks to Cathy who made a comment about broth with a link to Weston Price article Broth is Beautiful which describes some to the health benefits of chicken broth:

"Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain."

I have wanted to post about broth for a long time, but I never got around to it. We make homemade stock regularly at our house. Once a week our house smells like chicken soup, but it is worth it because I have nutritious broth that I can use for cooking or make into chicken noodle soup. Most commercial chicken stock doesn't contain the nutritious gelatin which makes it congeal when cold which has a long healing tradition. This is because most chicken stock is really salt and MSG and often "flavoring" manufactured by a chemist. Making it yourself is also a great way to get some of the vitamins and minerals from vegetables into kids who are picky eaters. This is our easy recipe for chicken stock.

Easy Chicken Stock Recipe

First, I roast a chicken, then I cut off the meat to serve for dinner.Then in a crockpot, I put:

Leave this to sit for one hour before turning the crock pot on (or bring to a simmer if you are making it in a pot.) After it comes to a boil, remove the scum that floats to the top and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 8-24 hours--this is easier to do in a crock pot than on the stove. Skimming the soup is very important as the scum contains the impurities and proteins which can make it taste off. The longer you simmer that more minerals are extracted. (Optional: put in one bunch parsley in 10 minutes before you turn off.) Strain the liquid and refrigerate. Remove fat from the top when it is cool. Season with salt.

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comments:

I for one am always psyched when the author puts this recipe into action! I would encourage readers to make this Chicken Soup (especially in the winter) because it's delicious and I encourage the author of this great blog to cook up a giant pot for her biggest fan!

About Me

Kirstin Boncher, BFA, MFA with a degree from the French Culinary Institute is a cook, photographer and mother who created the blog www.ourGFfamily.com to share her story, life, research and recipes with other gluten free families. Kirstin lives in Manhattan, NYC with her two gluten free children, her gluten free husband and her black lab, Kathy. Kirstin also writes for www.mylifewithfoodallergies.com/index/author/kirstinb.

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